Death carries off a man busy picking flowers with an besotted mind, like a great flood does a sleeping village.
Gautama BuddhaRead
Be a lamp unto yourselves! Work out your liberation with diligence! Fill your mind with compassion!
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote encourages self-reliance and compassion as essential for personal liberation.
Gautama Buddha emphasizes the importance of self-awareness and personal effort in achieving enlightenment. By urging individuals to be their own guiding light, he advocates for taking responsibility for one's own spiritual journey while nurturing compassion for others.
Themes
Self-RelianceLiberationCompassionDiligenceEnlightenment
In practice
Example use cases
During a meditation retreat, this quote serves as a reminder to rely on one's own inner light and compassion.
More from Gautama Buddha
All quotes βA kind man who makes good use of wealth is rightly said to possess a great treasure; but the miser who hoards up his riches will have no profit.
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There are having flowers in Spring, breezes in Summer, moon in Autumn, snows in Winter. If there is nothing worrying over you, it will be the best seasons at all times.
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Make an island of yourself, make yourself your refuge; there is no other refuge. Make truth your island, make truth your refuge; there is no other refuge.
Gautama BuddhaRead
When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will reflect on and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
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The tongue like a sharp knife ... Kills without drawing blood.
Gautama BuddhaRead
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